Light wire pliers for orthodontists

ABSTRACT

A light wire pliers particularly for use by orthodontists is particularly disposed for the making of very small helical loops as well as vertical loops in light tempered wire such as is used by orthodontists. Inserted hardened high speed steel facing portions are fixed, as by soldering, to stainless steel jaw members of the pliers so as to face the jaws so that those extremely small size jaw ends may be used to form the wire without bending, deformation, wear or breaking of these jaw portions.

United States Patent 91 Cusato Jan. 1, 1974 1 LIGHT WIRE PLlERS FORORTHODONTISTS [751 lnventor: Anthony .1. Cusato, Clostcr, NJ.

[73] Assignee: Henry Mann, lnc., Feasterville, Pa.

[22] Filed: June 15, 1972 [21] Appl. No.: 263,010

[52] US. Cl. 32/66 [51] Int. Cl. A6 lc 7/00 [58] Field of Search 32/66,67, 46, 49, 32/61, 62

[56] References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 2,138,726 11/1938 Cartwright32/67 OTHER PUBLICATIONS A. .1. of 0., Vol. 49, No. 12, Dec. 1963, Page25 Pin and Ligature Plier.

Primary Examiner-Robert Peshock Attorney-Ralph R. Roberts [57] ABSTRACTA light wire pliers particularly for use by orthodontists isparticularly disposed for the making of very small helical loops as wellas vertical loops in light tempered wire such as is used byblthOdOllllStS. Inserted hardened high speed steel facing portions arefixed, as by soldering, to stainless steel jaw members of the pliers soas to face the jaws so that those extremely small size jaw ends may beused to form the wire without bending, deformation, wear or breaking ofthese jaw portions.

2 Claims, 8 Drawing Figures LIGHT WIRE PLIERS FOR ORTHODONTISTSBACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention With reference to.the classification of art as established in the United States PatentOffice the pliers of this invention pertain. to a plier-type toolspecifically useful in the field of orthodontics and dentistry. Artpertaining; to this tool is found in the general class of Dentistry andin the particular subclass of instruments. A further pertinent subclassentitled, orthondontic is to be noted.

2. Description of the Prior Art In the field of dentistry andparticularly in the orthodontic portion thereof, the straightening ofchildrens teeth and the making of other restorations usually include theuse of one or more metalbands and light wire tensioning means. The wireused is usually a tempered wire which is bent to form open and closedloops and arches permitting adjustment of the tension. This bent orformed wire is attached to clips previously mounted upon the bands onthe teeth so that the orthodontist is able to adjust the tensionemployed to. move the teeth to the desired alignment. Pliers for formingthis tempered wire to desired configurations are, of course, well known.The longevity of these tools, however,.because of the severe strain andconcentrated load placed upon them by the bending, of this tempered wireis not as great as is desired. In addition, with the new technique andthe improvements in the holding means it has become an advantage to makesmaller helical loops and arches commonly called" vertical loops. Inaccordance with this advantage the pliers of this invention: are made tohave a long and useful life without the wear, deformation or breaking ofthe jaws usually resulting from the extreme heavy pressure used forbending the tempered wire.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION This invention may be summarized at least inpart with reference to its objects.

It is an object of this invention to provide, and it does provide, aplier-type hand tool for orthodontists and the like in which the jawsare complementarily formed to provide very small distal endedneedle-type pliers. These pliers have the facing and end material of thejaws made of hardened high-speed tool steel to prevent wear, bending anddistortion during thev forming of tempered light wire.

It is a further object of this invention toprovide, and it does provide,a light wire pliers for forming helical and vertical loops in which thedistal or tip end of the jaws are made with approximately atwenty-fivethousandths diameter or substantially square configuration.Each jaw tapersin an increasing diameter and thickness toward the pivotpin to provide a jaw of sufficient strength to form very small helicaland vertical loops in tempered wire. These jaws in addition to providingthe means for forming twenty-five-thousandths and greater diameterhelical and vertical loops at the same time are provided with cuttingmeans carried by the jaws which enable the light tempered wire to be cutafter forming of the wire.

The light wire pIier-tool of this invention has pivoted members whosejaws and handles are generally of stainless steel. The pliershaveconventionally shaped handle portions attached to the jawportions'which are formed so that one ja'w is a rounded jaw whosedistal. or outer end has a diameter of about twenty-five-thousandths ofan inch. The mating jaw has a rectangular configuration preferably of asubstantially square cross-section with the jaw tapered so as toincrease in both strength and thickness. The facing portions and tipportions of both jaws are made out of high speed heat. treated steelwhich preferably has a hardness of about or more than Rockwell C. Thishardness in high speed tool steel has proved to supply the desired.extreme rigidity and wear qualities. Adjacent the pivot pin of thepliers either forwardly in the jaws or rearwardly of the pivot pin, andattached to the handle portions is a compression type wire cutting meanswhich is. carried so that one member is carried on each handle or jawportion enabling the wire to be compression cut by simply closing thepliers with the wire positioned between the cutting means.

In addition to the above summary the following disclosure is detailed toinsure adequacy and. aid in understanding of the invention. Thisdisclosure, however, is not intended to prejudice that purpose of apatent which is to cover the inventive concept therein no matterhow itmay later be disguised. by variations in form or additions of furtherimprovements. For this reason there has been chosen a specificembodiment of the light wire pliers for forming helical and open wireloops of very small diameter as adopted. for use with tempered wire andshowing a preferredmeans for forming the jaws and wire cutting means.This specific embodiment and an alternate embodiment thereof have beenchosen for the purposes of illustration and description as shown in theaccompanying drawing wherein:

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWING FIG. 1 represents a side view of thelight wire pliers of this invention and showing in particular a pliersin which the wire cutting means is carried on the handle members of thepliers.

FIG. 2 represents a fragmentary plan view taken on the line 2-2 of FIG.I and looking downwardly on the jaw member depicted as having a roundcross-section of the pliers of this invention; I

FIG. 3 represents a fragmentary plan view taken on the line 3-3 of FIG.1 and looking downwardly on that jaw member depicted as having a squarecross-section configuration;

FIG. 4 represents a sectional end view taken on the line 4-4 of FIG. 2and showing in particular the construction of that jaw member which hasa round crosssection;

FIG. 5 represents a sectional end view taken on the line 5-5 of FIG. 3and showing the configuration and construction of that jaw member whichhas a square cross-section;

FIG. 6 represents a sectional view taken on the line 6-6 of FIG. I andshowing in particular the inserted and attached cutting portions ascarried on the handle portions and providing one compression wirecutting means of the pliers of this-invention;

FIG. 7 represents a fragmentary plan view of a pliers having the jawsconfigured to provide a wire cutting means in that portion of the jawsforward of the pivot pin, and

FIG. 8 represents a sectional view taken on the line 8-8 of FIG. 7 andshowing in particular the construction of the compression wire cuttingmeans as formed in the jaw portions forwardly of the pivot pin of thepliers.

In the following description and in the claims various details will beidentified by specific names for convenience, these names, however, areintended to be generic in their application. Corresponding referencecharacters refer to like members throughout the several figures of thedrawing.

The drawing accompanying, and forming part of, this specificationdiscloses certain details of construction for the purpose of explanationof the broader aspects ofthe invention, but it should be understood thatstructural details may be modified in various respects without departurefrom the concept and principals of the invention.

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT Referring now to FIGS. 1 through6 it is to be noted that the light wire pliers for forming helical andvertical loops in tempered light wire includes handle portions 10 and 12which are retained in a pivotal relationship to each other by aconcealed pivot pin 14. Forwardly ofthis pin are jaw portions 16 and 18which are preferably integrally connected portions of the handles 12 and10. Jaw 16, as seen in FIG. 3 and 5, has a flat top surface 20 and atits distal end or outer end this jaw has formed in this surface grooves22 and 24 shaped and sized for retaining and gripping the wire at adetermined position on the distal end of the pliers as the wire isbent.- As seen in particular in FIG. the top surface 20 is a flat orplanar surface which is the top of an insert portion 26 which ishardened high speed tool steel. This insert extends from or very nearthe jaw opening to the distal end and preferably is hardened to aRockwell of about 60 C. This insert is attached to the jaw as by silversoldering, brazing and the like.

The mating jaw 18 as seen in FIGS. 2 and 4 is a jaw having a roundcross-section and in which the top member 30 is an inserted piece ofhardened tool steel like that in the opposite jaw. This insert isattached to the stainless steel pin as by silver soldering, brazing,etc. After mounting in the jaw portion 18, the jaw and inserted top isrounded and tapered with the rounded and tapered portion extending forapproximately a half inch as seen in the drawing of FIG. 1. This roundedportion tapers from approximately three-sixteenths of an inch indiameter at its inner end to its distal end which is approximatelytwenty-five-thousandths of an inch in diameter. As depicted in thedrawing, the outer threesixteenths of an inch or so of jaw 18 iscompletelyhardened tool steel which provides the strength and rigidityto this jaw portion to enable very small size loops to be formed in thetempered wire.

Referring again to FIG. I it is to be noted that on the handle portionsand 12 of the pliers and near the pivot pin 14 there is provided cuttinginserts 32 and 34. Insert 32 is carried on handle portion 10 and insert34 is carried on handle portion 12. As seen in FIG. 6 the inserts 32 and34 have one edge sharpened so as to form a sharp edge, which edgepreferably just touches the opposite edge to provide a compression typecutter when the handles 10 and 12 are brought together to the maximumextent permitted by the closing of jaws l6 and 18 absent any wiretherebetween. The formed tempered wire may be cut at any desiredposition between the closed jaw portions 32 and 34. These inserts 32 and34 are preferably of hardened tool steel, tungsten carbide or othermaterial, which inserts have the ability to retain their cutting edgesfor the hundreds of times that tempered steel wire is to be cut in thenormal life expectancy of the pliers.

ALTERNATE EMBODIMENT OF FIGS. 7 AND 8 Referring now to FIGS. 7 and 8 itis to be noted that an alternate embodiment provides jaws 116 and 118which are identical to the jaws 16 and 18 described in FIG. 1 exceptthat at the rear point of the jaws of FIG. 7 and ahead of the pivot pin14 there is provided a more-or-less centrally disposed upwardly oroutwardly directed V-shaped cutting edge and 62 with the apex or edge ofthese Vs adapted to just touch when the jaws are closed. These sharp Vsare of hardened material and provide a compressive cutter in these jawportions. The upper surfaces and particularly the cutting apexes of theV portions 60 and 62 include a portion of the inserted portion of thehardened tool steel used on the faces of the jaws so that these V-shapedportions are also of hardened material providing a long USE ANDOPERATION In either the embodiment of FIG. 1 or in the embodiment ofFIG. 7 it is contemplated that the pliers will be used to bend and shapethe wire in the normal manner. Any and most upright or square open loopsto be formed in the wire has the wire gripped by the jaw face 20. Fromthis face the straight sides of the jaw provide the means to form anopen loop in the wire with the width of the jaw where it grips andretains the wire corresponding to the leg distance of the wire loopform. At the tip end of the jaw the width and depth of the square jaw iscontemplated to be a very small distance, as for example, onethirty-second of an inch or less. At the other or inner end of the jawnear the point where the V notches for cutting are formed in FIG. 7 thejaw is much wider such as three-sixteenths of an inch.

When closed or spiral type loops are to be formed in the wire the roundjaw 18 is used. The desired round contour or diameter is selected tocorrespond to that formed on the taper extending from the tip where thediameter is approximately twenty-five-thousandths of an inch to thediameter at the beginning of the V-shape 62 where the diameter of thejaw is much greater, as for example, three-sixteenths of an inch. Theoperator in forming his helical loop need only grasp the wire at thepoint on the jaw which is equal to or slightly less than the diameter ofthe loop to be formed. This permits any springback of the wire from atighter loop initially wound to spring back to the size desired by theoperator or manipulator of the pliers. As the working surfaces of thejaws of the pliers of both FIGS. 1 and 7 are made of hardened high speedtool steel the wear and distortion on the jaws of pliers as reduced topractice has proved to be negligible.

Whether the pliers of FIG. 1 is used or the pliers of FIG. 7 is used,after the wire has been bent to its desired configuration it may be cutfrom the wire spool or supply. In FIG. 1 the wire is cut by causing thecutting portions 32 and 34 to be brought into contiguous relationshipwhereby the wire is cut. Where the wire cutting jaws are those depictedin FIG. 7 then the sharp edges of the V portions 60 and 62 are broughttogether to cut the wire.

The novel pliers above-described and shown in the drawing have jawswhose working surfaces and very small tips are of hardened high speedtool steel. The rest of the pliers is preferably of stainless steelwhich permits repeated sterilizing of the instrument without rusting.The use of hardened high speed tool steel enables the very small jaws tomaintain their original condition without bending, breaking or unduewear. Of

course,- other hardened material may be used as an insert where theinsert has a tensile and shear strength as good as, or better than, thehigh speed steel abovedescribed. A cutting means on such a type of toolspeeds up the dentists work and requires one less tool to produce thewire form. Insofar as is known the pliers of this invention are thefirst offered to the orthodontist which provide means for making helicalor open loops as small as twenty-five-thousandths of an inch in diameterin the tempered wire used by Orthodontists.

Terms such as left," right, up, down, bottom," top," front," back," in,"out" and the like are applicable to the embodiments shown and describedin conjunction with the drawing. These terms are merely for the purposesof description and do not necessarily apply to the position in which thelight wire pliers may be constructed or used.

While a particular embodiment of the pliers and an alternate embodimenthave been shown and described it is to be understood the invention isnot limited thereto since modifications may be made within the scope ofthe accompany claims and protection is sought to the broadest extent theprior art allows.

What is claimed is:

l. A light wire pliers for Orthodontists and the like in which thedistal ends of the jaws are adapted to form very small open and closedloops in tempered wire, said pliers including (a) a pair of handleportions main tained in a pivotal relationship to each other by means ofa pivot pin; (b) a pair of jaw portions with one of these attached toeach of the handle portions; (0) a hardened insert attached as bysoldering and the like to provide the working face of each jaw, saidhardened insert having tensile and shear characteristics which are atleast equal to that of heat treated high speed tool steel hardened toabout 60 Rockwell C, one of the jaws having the insert and thesupporting jaw portion formed as a tapered member having a substantiallycircular cross-section extending from the tip of a portion near theinward termination of the jaw, this round jaw having its smaller distalend about one thirty-second of an inch in diameter and with the otherjaw having the insert and supporting jaw portion formed with arectangular cross-section extending from the tip to a portion near theinward termination of the jaw and with the jaw having a tapersubstantially like that in the rounded jaw and with the distal small endhaving a width of approximately one thirty-second of an inch, thisrectangular cross-sectional jaw further having its gripping face formedwith at least two shallow grooves each adapted to grip a wiretransversely of the longitudinal length of the jaw and between theclosed together jaws, and (d) a cutting means carried on the pliers andactuated by the closing of the jaws to cut the tempered wire when thejaws are closed, said cutting means being a pair of hardened insertscarried on the handle portions, one insert being carried on each handleand mounted adjacent the pivot pin so that their sharpened edges faceeach other and when the handles are closed the cutting edgescompressively cut the wire when the jaws are brought to a closedcondition absent a wire therebetween.

2. A light wire pliers as in claim 1 in which the jaws are aboutfive-eighths of an inch in length and the taper increases from thedistal one thirty-second of an inch width to about three-sixteenthsinches in width.

1. A light wire pliers for orthodontists and the like in which thedistal ends of the jaws are adapted to form very small open and closedloops in tempered wire, said pliers including: (a) a pair of handleportions maintained in a pivotal relationship to each other by means ofa pivot pin; (b) a pair of jaw portions with one of these attached toeach of the handle portions; (c) a hardened insert attached as bysoldering and the like to provide the working face of each jaw, saidhardened insert having tensile and shear characteristics which are atleast equal to that of heat treated high speed tool steel hardened toabout 60 Rockwell ''''C,'''' one of the jaws having the insert and thesupporting jaw portion formed as a tapered member having a substantiallycircular cross-section extending from the tip of a portion near theinward termination of the jaw, this round jaw having its smaller distalend about one thirty-second of an inch in diameter and with the otherjaw having the insert and supporting jaw portion formed with arectangular cross-section extending from the tip to a portion near theinward termination of the jaw and with the jaw having a tapersubstantially like that in the rounded jaw and with the distal small endhaving a width of approximately one thirty-second of an inch, thisrectangular cross-sectional jaw further having its gripping face formedwith at least two shallow grooves each adapted to grip a wiretransversely of the longitudinal length of the jaw and between theclosed together jaws, and (d) a cutting means carried on the pliers andactuated by the closing of the jaws to cut the tempered wire when thejaws are closed, said cutting means being a pair of hardened insertscarried on the handle portions, one insert being carried on each handleand mounted adjacent the pivot pin so that their sharpened edges faceeach other and when the handles are closed the cutting edgescompressively cut the wire when the jaws are brought to a closedcondition absent a wire therebetween.
 2. A light wire pliers as in claim1 in which the jaws are about five-eighths of an inch in length and thetaper increases from the distal one thirty-second of an inch width toabout three-sixteenths inches in width.